Ireland is showing “what a country can do” to raise the Gaza crisis in the eyes of the world, including the efforts to block trade with the Israeli-Occupied Territories, former president of Ireland Mary Robinson.
The Government’s decision to recognise the state of Palestine “is very important”, especially because of the Government’s efforts to get other European countries to do the same, she said.
“Everywhere I go, and especially with countries in the Middle East, I hear very good responses to being Irish,” Ms Robinson told a Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) conference in Dublin.
“It’s clearly the leading human rights issue in the country. All red lines have been crossed in a way that is truly so sad,” she said, adding that the crisis is “making it more difficult to assert” international human right norms.
Shoplifting: More than 8,000 arrests as gardaí focus on retail crime gangs in crackdown
‘An appalling tragedy’: Tributes paid to Leinster House usher killed while cycling in Castleknock
Woman (30s) killed and man seriously injured in hit-and-run incident in Blanchardstown
Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special review: Unkillable comedy’s wit is as sharp as a mouthful of Brussels sprouts
Clearly highlighting the United States’ role, she said: “These values matter when they’re being undermined by those who purport to give leadership in democracy and human rights, and then do not use the restraining power they have to not arm those who overreach”.
Saying that Israel is being led by a “bad government at the moment”, Ms Robinson declared: “The fact that we have recognised Palestine is very important and that we’re encouraging other European countries to do it, and that we’re trying to impact on trade”.
Ms Robinson was speaking at the PRII annual conference in Croke Park, which focused on the need to build cohesion in Irish society and the threats posed by misinformation and disinformation.
Speaking on “the power of words”, Ms Robinson said: “Words matter. Be careful with your words. Be careful not to insult people or [to use] jibes that put them down a bit because words matter. Words matter.”
Criticising the language used when immigration is spoken about, the former president said she remembered when children born out of wedlock in the Republic were deemed to be “illegitimate”.
“Imagine labelling a human being as illegitimate? Yet we label migrants as illegal. What does it mean to call a human being illegal? What does it mean? Just think about it. It’s an extraordinary expression. Illegal, what does that mean?
“What did they do to become illegal? They just came into a country because they were desperate, because they had to leave their own country and they were looking for a better future, and they’re somehow illegal. That term should not be used,” she said.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
